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Benjamin Raymond Marsh, Jr. was born 11 October 1916 in Lansing, Michigan to Mr. Ben & Mrs. Marjory Marsh. He attended the University of Wyoming from Fall of 1935
to Spring of 1936 and transferred to the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan, attending from 1936 to 1938. He was an active member of the Alpha Tau Omega National Fraternity.
He enlisted in the Naval Reserve 17 August 1940 at Detroit and completed his enlistment 13 February 1941 following his initial training aboard the USS Arkansas. He was appointed
midshipman in the U.S. Naval Reserve the following day, receiving his commission as ensign 15 May 1941 after completing all required courses at the Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School, U.S. Naval
Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. Initially assigned to USS Tangier on 15 May 1941, he was transferred 04 November 1941 to USS Arizona. Ensign Marsh was declared dead
following the attack on Pearl Harbor, 07 December 1941. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart by General Order #186 on 21 January 1943 so ordered by the Secretary of the Navy. Also
awarded posthumously was the American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp and the World War II Victory Medal on 18 November 1946.
USS Marsh (DE 699) (1944-1973) was the first ship to be named in his honor.
(Photo and information from the Alpha Tau Omega Archives, University of Illinois Archives Research Center and thanks to the University of Wyoming for their assistance on providing information on Ensign Marsh. ) |
Bill Gonyo
Downey, Cal.
Assoc. Researcher
Navsource |
0669902 |
93k |
25 September 1943: Bay City, Mich. - USS Marsh slides sideways into the water at Defoe Shipbuilding after being christened by Mrs. Ben Marsh. |
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31 May 1944: the Atlantic Ocean - USS Tulagi (CVE 72) enroute from New York to Casablanca with a deck cargo of U.S. Army P-38s and P-47s. USS Marsh (DE 699) is alongside.
Marsh was alongside Tulagi from 0705 until 0900 while she received 24,975 gallons of Navy Special fuel oil. Photographed from USS Mission Bay (CVE 59).
Tulagi had left the U. S. Naval Section Base at Tompkinsville, Staten Island on 28 May in company with USS Mission Bay (CVE 59) and USS Kasaan Bay (CVE 69).
They were escorted by USS Marsh (DE 699), USS Currier (DE 700), USS Tatum (DE 789), USS Haines (DE 792), USS Runels (DE 793),
and USS Hollis (DE 794).
(Official U.S. Navy Photograph #80-G-364378, now in the collections of the National Archives). |
Bob Hurst
Worksop, Nottinghamshire,
England, United Kingdom |
0669910 |
88k |
circa 1946-47: undated photo showing Marsh anchored in Asian waters. |
David Wright
Archive Manager
Destroyer Archive
Navsource |
0669903 |
113k |
A later bow view of Marsh, which illustrates the divergence of naval staff views between the Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy at war's end, in dealing with the
fast U-boats. While the Royal Navy went in for the Squid mortars, the U.S. Navy relied on the Hedgehog, and here two are fitted side by side in the B position.
[U.S. Navy photo, from the book "Allied Escort Ships of World War II (A Complete Survey)", by Peter Elliott] |
Edib Krlicbegovic,
Bosnia - Hercegovina |
0669904 |
51k |
One of the floating power stations, Marsh of the 'Buckley' type. Taken in Hawaii, this shows the power points in place of the torpedo tubes, a new type
bridge and postwar radar aerials at the masthead.
[U.S. Navy photo, from the book "Allied Escort Ships of World War II (A Complete Survey)", by Peter Elliott] |
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undated Korean War news clipping |
Jon & Kari Stacy |
0669908 |
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Post-Korean war photo of Marsh passing Point Loma, departing from San Diego.
(This photo appears to be a ship portrait by George Barber of Marine Photos, San Diego, Cal.) |
Mike Smolinski
Clifton, N.J.
Archive Manager
DE / FF / LCS Archive
Navsource |
0669906 |
147k |
September 1957, San Francisco Bay
(© Allied Photographers, San Francisco, Cal.) |
Robert M. Cieri |
0669905 |
498k |
circa early 1958: Pearl Harbor, Hi. - Gilligan (DE 508),
Marsh (DE 699), and Goss (DE 444) moored together at the Pearl Harbor Naval Station.
USS George Clymer (APA 27) is moored in the background. (My grandfather, RMC Harold
Jacobson, took this picture. He served in WWII on active duty then stayed with the reserves until his retirement. He passed away last year and I found a box of his old slide
photos and had them put to a CD. I believe it was taken in Pearl Harbor and I suspect the year was 1958 but I don't know for sure. I don't know what ship he was standing on
when he took this picture. I would love to find out what ship or class it is.) |
John Jacobson
EWC(SW), USN |
0669907 |
71k |
25 August 1959 |
- |
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undated: USS Raby (DE 698) going full astern prior to departing Pearl Harbor. In the foreground
is Marsh with crewmen preparing the ship for departure.
(U.S. Naval Institute Press Photo from the book "Anti-submarine Warfare: An Illustrated History"" by David Owen) |
Bob Hurst
Worksop, Nottinghamshire,
England, United Kingdom |
0669909 |
183k |
June 1962: USS Marsh (DE 699) entering Pearl Harbor enroute to the Naval Station |
Nick Tiberio
Shelton, Conn. |
